As part of the Hometown Diplomats Program, Big Bear resident, Heather Steil, a U.S. Department of State, Executive Office Staff Assistant, made a presentation to City Council at Monday evening’s meeting and will be presenting to the Rotary Club of Big Bear Lake this Thursday night. Ms. Steil spent two years as Consular Officer in Bucharest, Romania, followed by a tour in Baghdad, Iraq, where she covered public affairs, political-military issues, economic and reconstruction efforts and anti-corruption. Most recently, she served as embassy observer for the Kurdistan region elections in July 2009. Ms. Steil will return to Washington, D.C. next month to begin training for her next assignment as an information officer in Nepal. In 2001, former Secretary of State Colin Powell launched the Hometown Diplomats Program. The former secretary’s message for the program was to inform Americans about what the employees of the State Department do in their jobs and how foreign policy affects the lives of all Americans. Employees are nominated by their Ambassador, Consul General, Under Secretary or Assistant Secretary to participate in the program. During trips back to their hometowns, employees tell their stories to local organizations, schools and local government officials.
